Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY
SOUTH BEND

Congressional District # 2

WHITEFORD SALES & SERVICE INC./NATIONALEASE

EPA ID# IND980999791
Last Updated: November, 2008

Site Description

The Whiteford Sales & Service (WSS) site was the location of a former truck washing and leasing operation in South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana. The site is approximately 11 acres in size and is currently owned by the city of South Bend. One of South Bend's municipal well fields is located approximately 800 feet west of the site. The area of the site is primarily industrial.

From 1967 to 1983, detergents and solvents used in the truck washing operations at the site were discharged to three onsite dry wells. Each well was constructed of perforated concrete and was approximately four feet wide and six feet deep. No engineered liners or other materials were present to prevent the downward migration of liquids discharged into the wells. In 1980, St. Joseph County purchased the property for purposes of the planned realignment of the adjacent street and construction of an overpass. In 1983, when construction of the street overpass began, approximately 200,000 cubic yards of soil were removed from the WSS site to be used as fill for the construction project. In the course of excavating the soil, the three dry wells were uncovered. The sludge in the dry wells was analyzed and found to be Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) characteristic waste due to ignitability. In 2002, the city of South Bend purchased the property from St. Joseph County.

Site Responsibility

This site was addressed through PRP and federal actions.

Threats and Contaminants

Groundwater in onsite, upgradient, and offsite monitoring wells was found to contain a number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), some of which are compounds typically used in degreasing operations. Onsite soils were found to contain elevated levels of heavy metals, including arsenic, barium, cadmium, and chromium as well as several VOCs. Due to the current as well as likely future use of the site as a stormwater retention basin, it is unlikely that direct exposure to onsite contaminants will occur. Moreover, exposure to contaminants at the concentrations detected in site soil and groundwater do not pose unacceptable risks to human health or the environment. 

Cleanup Progress

A Consent Decree, finalized in 1987 between Indiana Department of Environmental Management, St. Joseph County, and Whiteford-Kenworth, Inc. (former owner/operator), required the removal and proper disposal of the sludge and surrounding contaminated soil from the three onsite dry wells. The site was proposed for listing on the National Priorities List (NPL) in June 1988. The potentially responsible party (PRP) completed the removal of sludge and contaminated soil in July 1988. Approximately 210 cubic yards of contaminated material were properly disposed of offsite. 

The site was listed on the NPL in August 1990. After completion of a remedial investigation at the site and preparation of a baseline risk assessment, U.S. EPA issued a Record of Decision in September 1995 calling for "No Further Action." "No Action" was selected because the baseline risk assessment indicated that the site posed no unacceptable risks to human health or the environment. The PRP had removed the majority of the contamination in 1988. The WSS site was deleted from the NPL on September 6, 1996. 

Property Reuse

The property is currently being used as a stormwater retention basin.

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
mary tierney (tierney.mary@epa.gov)
(312) 886-4785

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
stuart hill
(312) 886-0689

Aliases

WHITEFORD SALES & SERVICE/NATIONALEASE
WHITEFORD SALES & SERV NAT LEASE

 

Site Profile Information

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